Interior Minister Reports 'Red Security Status' in 10 Electoral Districts

According to the Minister of Interior of the Islamic Republic, there are specific security sensitivities in 10 points in Iran for the upcoming elections, and they are in a 'red security status.' In a television program on Saturday evening, December 28, Abdulreza Rahmani Fazli, the Minister of Interior of Iran, discussed the mechanisms and issues ahead for the upcoming elections of the Islamic Consultative Assembly and the Assembly of Experts. The Minister of Interior pointed out that 10 electoral districts are in 'red status' due to 'specific regional conditions,' 'threats from enemies,' and 'some ethnic disputes that have even led to murder in the past.' Mr. Rahmani Fazli further added, 'We have specific sensitivities for 10 points across the country, and we have also considered forces to ensure the security of these areas.' Previously, in this regard, Hossein Zolfaqari, head of the Election Security Headquarters, confirmed the existence of 10 electoral districts in 'red status' and announced the preparation of an 'electoral security atlas.' According to Mr. Zolfaqari, out of 207 electoral districts in the country, 10 are in red status, 50 in gray status, 22 in yellow status, and 125 have completely normal and white status. According to this Ministry of Interior official, 'In the electoral districts that are in red status, there have been past disputes and tribal conflicts among candidates or their supporters.' Another part of the Minister's remarks addressed the issue of the Guardian Council's supervisory oversight and the potential changes of some governors and provincial governors. Abdulreza Rahmani Fazli, in response to a question from the Iranian television program host regarding his acceptance of 'supervisory oversight,' said, 'I fully accept supervisory oversight because it is a law, and it cannot be acted against.' The Minister of Interior also stated regarding the potential changes of governors in the remaining days before the elections, 'If necessary, governors or provincial governors will be changed, and I am not concerned about the sensitivities in this regard.' According to this official of the eleventh government, 'What matters is to do the right thing, and if we are convinced that some governors need to be changed and they cannot perform their duties well until the elections, we will change them.' Previously, Mr. Rahmani Fazli had stated in an interview with the government news agency that 'there may be changes among governors and provincial governors,' indicating that 'the government may decide to change a governorship on election day.' On September 28, the Minister stated that 'the government has not yet changed 38 governors and may conclude that relocations are necessary.' The fate of the transparency bill for campaign expenses was another topic of the Minister's remarks. Abdulreza Rahmani Fazli emphasized the need for transparency regarding the expenses incurred by candidates, stating that 'there is a legal vacuum regarding campaign expenses, and the law only refers to the buying and selling of votes and also to threats and bribery.' According to the Minister of Interior, the aim of the government's proposed bill is to ensure that 'all cash and non-cash expenses and their sources are specified.' According to this bill, 'each electoral candidate will have a specific account number so that funds are deposited into that account, and expenses are recorded in the accounting office to allow for transparent auditing of each candidate's accounts.' Mr. Rahmani Fazli continued by stating, 'We were eager for a parliament that has shown interest in the issue of dirty money and its pursuit to agree to the urgent nature of this bill,' adding that 'this bill, which has been submitted to the parliament for a month, has been deemed urgent.' The Minister of Interior expressed hope that this bill would be approved by the end of January, stating, 'If this bill is implemented by the end of January, which will be two months after its submission to the parliament, it can be hoped that up to 80 percent of campaign expenses will be specified by candidates.' Mr. Rahmani Fazli had previously stated that 'some of the money related to drug trafficking enters politics and is used in the form of assistance in elections and decision-making.' Following these remarks, some members of the Iranian parliament accused Mr. Rahmani Fazli of 'distorting elections and their integrity' and demanded explanations from him regarding this matter. The Minister of Interior also appeared in parliament on Sunday, April 6, and stated to the representatives that 'domestic and foreign media have distorted his words' and that he 'has no intention of revealing names and is only warning about this matter.'